Comments on: One Week Without A Smartphone? Impossiblehttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/
The Definitive Guide to Tech and CarsSat, 10 Dec 2016 03:31:00 +0000hourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7By: Grendelmonhttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-321463
Mon, 30 Dec 2013 20:51:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-321463Diito… ironically I work in the I.T. industry, I’m 36 years old and have never owned a cell phone. Probably never will, either, at least for a very long time.
]]>By: disqus_5HJszqLssXhttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-307936
Fri, 06 Sep 2013 02:40:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-307936I don’t own a smartphone or even a cell phone and I’m extremely happy just as I am. I like having things simple. I can check my email on my home computer and if it’s something that can’t wait…that’s just too bad. So I’ve been living all these years without a smartphone so if I can, just about anyone can. I’m not counting anyone who needs them for work, that’s different (i guess). But just for stupid BS, then it’s really not necessary. Meet up with a friend for lunch sometime and have a real conversation without your stupid phones. You might be able to connect a little better face to face than text messaging. I don’t know why so many people think this is such an impossible task. I just don’t think the price of the phone or plan is worth what it does so that’s mainly why I don’t have one nor do I want one even if I could afford it.
]]>By: Patrickhttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-293378
Wed, 15 May 2013 13:10:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-293378I’m an 18 year old university student but have survived all my life without a smartphone
]]>By: James Fletcherhttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-291451
Wed, 01 May 2013 20:58:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-291451I went 4 months last year…was truly a blessing.
]]>By: Francisco Medinahttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-291342
Wed, 01 May 2013 01:12:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-291342funny, i have a rinky dink flip phone, closest thing to a smart phone is my nexus 7 tablet. they both died on the 9th, barely got them fixed and back around 2 days ago. and i walked away from it all just fine, even though my only connection to the online world was my desktop hooked to the tv as a game/media center.
]]>By: Rico Compagniehttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-291026
Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:17:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-291026It is possible. I used to own a BlackBerry. I then came to my senses when I realized I didn’t use mobile internet much. I don’t play games on it. I only use a phone to make calls and send text messages, so now I own some cheap $30 Alcatel phone and I’m not regretting it.

I don’t miss my smartphone, because as I said before, I only use it to call and send text messages.

]]>By: Tony R.https://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-290998
Mon, 29 Apr 2013 04:21:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-290998You don’t have to go way out into the Mojave Desert to be out of communication. There are places just a couple of miles off U.S. 101 a bit south of San Jose, California, where there’s zero cell phone contact. People depend on those gadgets too much without realizing how tenuous their connection to civilization might be.
]]>By: Fred Ossefogvahttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-290902
Sun, 28 Apr 2013 03:59:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-290902You have a pathetic and insipid life if you can’t get along without your smartphone. No doubt you update your Facebook page every day to tell the world what you had for breakfast.
]]>By: Troyhttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-290876
Sat, 27 Apr 2013 18:57:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-290876I’m 37 and I don’t own any kind of cellular phone at all, smart or dumb or otherwise.

Several of my best friends also don’t own a cell phone, while the rest of my friends and family are all tethered at the hip to an iPhone or the latest Android (but I love them anyway). Cell phones just seem like such a massive waste of time and money. I do all the maintenance on my pristine and finely tuned truck myself, so I don’t need to worry about the “abandoned on a desert highway scenario”, even though I never drive beyond the comfortable Southern California suburbs. I never go jogging or biking beyond my neighborhood or local park. When I travel by plane, I simply make a few prior arrangements and have hotels and rental cars waiting for me, and new cities ready for real exploring. When I’m at dinner or drinks with friends, we actually converse with each other and keep the conversation witty and fun instead of checking our phones through three courses. I was on Facebook for 10 days in the Summer of 2008, but I ran from Facebook quickly when I realized it was just a narcissistic fantasy world and I had no desire to reconnect with my date from the 1993 Senior Prom, so no need to constantly check for Facebook “updates” on a phone.

I do have a telephone; a nice cordless model on the kitchen counter that has range all the way out to the mailbox (with a corded princess phone in a drawer in case of earthquakes or blackouts). I pay AT&T 14 bucks a month for the phone bill. I also have a laptop I replace every few years, and I do enjoy its convenience for doing bills, leaving a Yelp restaurant review, my Netflix queue, and making travel arrangements.

But a cell phone I’m constantly tapping at? That just doesn’t seem very smart to me. In fact, it seems like quite a dumb way to navigate through this beautiful world full of interesting people.

]]>By: thesafesurferhttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-290869
Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:13:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-290869Ditto, over half a century here. Complete agreement with your post.
]]>By: Wil Fryhttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-290665
Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:03:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-290665I’ve now lived 40 years without a smartphone, so I know it’s possible. But for many people, it’s their only phone, their only camera, their only internet connection. I get it if they can’t live without all that for a week.

What I don’t understand is how many people I see who can’t go a *minute* without checking it, even while driving or having a romantic dinner.

]]>By: Ronaldhttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-290543
Thu, 25 Apr 2013 04:33:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-290543Worked in IT for over 12 years, online at 14 in 1994 when the web was still text-based, do web development for a living. Recently dropped my main phone and the screen cracked so decided to put it in for an insurance claim… but NOT until I was able to obtain a replacement smartphone.

When I did, it was an extremely old model Android without enough RAM to run more than a few apps at once. So I went to a whole truckload of trouble just to obtain a better smartphone as a loan while my broken phone goes in for a week, perhaps 2 weeks of repair.

So yes, I would say that I cannot live without a smartphone. Barely one day, let alone a week.

Besides from needing to be contactable by work in emergencies (via Exchange email), a great deal of the messaging and social organisation I do now is moving more and more away from SMS towards data-based communications like Facebook Messenger and Skype. Added to that is the fact that we no longer remember phone numbers anymore or have paper-based street directories and to me it’s a compelling reason why I always need a smartphone.

I wouldn’t die without it for a week, but think about it like this… what if all telephony services (fixed-line, mobile, satellite, data – all of it) stopped for a week. How *would you* cope? The accusation that our dependence on smartphones is a symptom of some modern illness is a pointless argument that fails to recognise the pace with which technology is changing our lives.

A hundred years ago the same criticisms were probably being levelled at people about Alexander Graham Bell’s invention bemoaning how people would cope if they had to resort to postal mail or carrier pigeon.

Do you consider your reliance on a motor vehicle, electricity or running water as a symptom of weakness or some kind of addiction? Why is a depending on a smartphone for your everyday life any different?

]]>By: Gail Nicholshttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-290526
Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:25:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-290526i dont have the least bit of trouble living without a smartphone-because i dont own one, if i leave the house,, and need to check on something, ill call from a payphone, my husband does have a rather luld fashioned; flip phone, mainly to give us a way to keep in touch in case my health problems go south. but most of the time,our phone calls are made at home on our cordless, for privacy, or if i need the phone with me when no one is home. with me.
]]>By: FoxRunninghttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-290524
Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:09:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-290524i dont have the least bit of trouble living without a smartphone-because i dont own one, if i leave the house,, and need to check on something, ill call from a payphone, my husband does have a rather old fashioned; flip phone, mainly to give us a way to keep in touch in case my health problems go south. but most of the time,our phone calls are made at home on our cordless, for privacy, or if i need the phone with me when no one is home. with me.
]]>By: Transhumanhttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-290257
Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:25:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-290257A Smart phone is a lot of things to a lot of people. As things(people, societies, electronics, etc) evolve they become integrated into our patterns and habits, A cog in a larger machine. If that cog breaks and isn’t replaced, how does that machine operate? Think about it…
]]>By: Eleeflyguy43https://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-289974
Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:53:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-289974Sure. I can drop my Android andget by with just my Blackberry for one week.
]]>By: Jennyhttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-289958
Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:12:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-289958I just started using my ‘smartphone’ phone today after 2 weeks and wish I could turn it back off! :P
]]>By: Nancy Clarkhttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-289942
Mon, 22 Apr 2013 02:51:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-289942I can’t imagine even just a day without my phone. lol
]]>By: Jamie Sprucehttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-289914
Sun, 21 Apr 2013 18:37:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-289914I’m having to live without mine this week – possibly a month – while it’s being fixed.

It’s terrible. Bloody terrible.

I feel like I’ve had a limb severed off.

Not to mention I’m getting withdrawal symptoms from Ingress :]

]]>By: NoobToobhttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-289901
Sun, 21 Apr 2013 17:02:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-289901I’ve done it before. As long as you have a home phone line it’s very possible. Annoying as hell but still very possible.
]]>By: Greg Reonhttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-289900
Sun, 21 Apr 2013 16:45:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-289900If you can’t live a week without a smartphone you need a different life. I’ve been using a computer since 1980 and yes, I have a smart phone but it doesn’t rule my life. Get a grip and do something in the world besides check your freakin’ phone. I’ve actually discovered you don’t have to answer your phone while driving either. They can wait until I stop for gas or get to my destination. My life isn’t filled with emergencies.
]]>By: Reklamadorhttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-289893
Sun, 21 Apr 2013 15:23:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-289893I lost my smartphone a year ago and I’ve been using my old “dumb”phone ever since. I must admit that I felt some withdrawal symptoms for the first few weeks. I would wish I still had it during times where I had to wait for something or someone, or if I wanted to take a photo and immediately share it on facebook. I dont go on twitter that much anymore unless I absolutely have to because it’s just too much noise. I’m able to finish reading more books now on my kindle compared to when I was reading on my phone. I check emails on my computer. Maybe I’m lucky that my job doesn’t require my immediate reply to any email.

I guess I found a greater appreciation for simple living because of the experience. I still follow tech news to see what’s new but I just don’t feel the need to keep up anymore.

And I don’t have to charge my phone every day.

]]>By: murdoeguyhttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-289888
Sun, 21 Apr 2013 14:23:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-289888This is a piece of cake..I’m not using my smartphone..or any phone for that matter for the past 3 months..I’m not even taking it with me when I go out..Well, this is because my work is mostly online and I seldom get out of the house..i’m in front of my computer almost 16 hrs a day and that is how I communicate with everyone.. I even send sms using that so no big deal for me..
]]>By: Brian Mhttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-289883
Sun, 21 Apr 2013 12:47:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-289883A reply from the obvious ‘odd man out’. I’m 38, have worked in the IT industry since ’95, been ‘online’ since about 88~89 (if you include BBS), not exactly someone who’s unfamiliar with tech, or unaccustomed to being an early adopter. And I have never owned a smart phone either. Feels a bit odd when everyone around me does, even my Brother-in-Law… who doesn’t have internet at home (and is a maintenance man).

My view is that there are 2 very neat and tidy groups ~ those who have it for a toy/entertainment device (this makes up the vast majority of owners ~ even if they sometimes do something that may be work related on it) and those who have it to enhance their ability to work. I feel my wife fits into the 2nd category (so, yes, there is a smartphone in the house) ~ she doesn’t text or have a facebook/twitter/google+/whatever account, nor do I. There are ZERO games, no apps for streaming anything (audio or video), and nothing that delivers news. Her phone is used 99% of the time to look up drug information for work, while At work… part and parcel of being a Pharmacist. Occasionally, when she remembers to bring it when we’re out together, we might use it to try and find a place to eat (which has never worked out well), or get directions. She’s able to recognize that when she walks out of her work building, that “work” is done and can wait till she walks back into the building the next day. I know this is how I operate ~ and my employers know it too. Emergencies (I’m the head of my IT dept) are brought to my attention via phone and have to wait till I can get to a computer or the office. You know what? In a little over 5 years, that’s happened twice and having a smartphone wouldn’t have helped anyway (equipment failure and ISP problem). It’s just NOT essential for work ~ so I have a flip-phone from 2007.

But most people Seem, to me, through MY eyes (so just unwind those undies folks, it’s opinion) to be using their phones to avoid life. It’s a distraction as well as an addiction. I went through that while in college where I played MUDs (think WoW, but text-based) and would stay online for 30~50 hours in a row. I lost at least a year of life to that addiction, my social life dropped to nothing, grades.. well, I dropped out of 2 semesters so there were no grades for at least a year. So maybe I’m hyper-sensitive to the succubus that is a technology diversion. These are the people who are texting while driving, sitting at a bar/restaurant and playing games/texting/whatever and missing life in general around them. Yes, life Can be slow and seem dull after the Massive stimulation that the internet/smartphones can provide but there’s much to be appreciated too. It’s for this reason that I pity people who show their smartphone when they’re clearly away from work ~ they’re Missing out on life. And that’s just plain sad. “Social” to me, can only be conducted face to face otherwise it’s like the junk-food of contact, momentarily filling but ultimately worthless for the nourishment of your body (or soul). It’s like the sleep you get on an airplane, it passes the time but you never feel rested/satisfied.

Yes, it’s Clearly a hard addiction to break… and addiction it is ~ I recently watched the girlfriend of my BiL at a party with her friends and she was the only one who had a phone out instead of socializing with the people that were Right THERE! Same girl went on an overnight kayak trip with us and she risked her phone to the water so she could text and do stuff online ~ this is while we were on a Beautiful waterway in Florida with tons of wildlife all around. She epitomizes the typical smartphone user to me ~ someone who’d rather play with their toy than pay attention to life immediately around them. Even previously dull times, like sitting on the subway for a 40 minute ride, had benefits in times before smartphones ~ a time to think, unwind, mentally prepare.

Now, to even this out (and show that I have my own addiction), it’s worth noting that the first thing *I* do in the morning (after making myself a cup of tea) is open a laptop and check my email, news, system status at work, etc… even at 8:30am on a Sunday. Is it better that I do it on a laptop instead of a smartphone? Probably not… but it’s sure a LOT easier to close and forget then go about living my life.

]]>By: pepee63https://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-289879
Sun, 21 Apr 2013 10:06:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-289879Since I’m reading this on my phone, I would say no. I’d rather be without my car, and I can’t do without my car.
]]>By: Nick Noashttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-289877
Sun, 21 Apr 2013 09:45:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-289877Last week my nexus’ power button broke and I send it to service. For one week I was without a smartphone . No email, no whatsapp, no traffic updates, no news, no office, no internet,no calendar, no camera. It was disastrous. There were times I felt helpless. While I must admit I am addicted and I can see no viable way for that to change.
]]>By: J. Williamshttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-289871
Sun, 21 Apr 2013 06:43:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-289871If you can’t go a week without your smartphone, something is wrong.
]]>By: AGOTIhttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-289866
Sun, 21 Apr 2013 02:20:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-289866RESQUISQUAT IN PACE

Here lies LUKE JUKE

Cause of death: Week without Phone

]]>By: rpaseahttps://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-289859
Sun, 21 Apr 2013 00:34:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-289859Hey, it’s spring time in the northern hemisphere. Get out and enjoy mother nature. Don’t be a smart phone zombie.
]]>By: Gussy2000https://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-289846
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 22:16:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-289846You are a brave man :)
]]>By: Gussy2000https://www.slashgear.com/one-week-without-a-smartphone-impossible-20278339/#comment-289845
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 22:15:00 +0000http://www.slashgear.com/?p=278339#comment-289845A smartphone or a PHONE? My smartphone is my only phone. I work 45 minutes away from my wife and 3 year old and live an hour away from my 82 year old mother for whom I manage her finances.

I can not go a week without the ability to call and at least text. Actually, because of managing most of my mom’s finances online, I can’t really be without on-the-spot online access either.

Right now, it is the weekend. I’m home with my family. My phone is in the other room charging with the volume on low. So long as my wife and child are within earshot, I find the desire to have my phone on or near me at all times pretty much vanishes.